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The Dwelling of the Name: The Name in the New Covenant (Part 9 of 12)

  • billspivey
  • Jan 5
  • 14 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

In His perfect humanity, He became the perfect sacrifice who seals our salvation.

© 2026 William F. Spivey Jr. All Rights Reserved (www.bible-is-history.com)


The heart of an organ donor can save a life. The heart of Jesus gave all for the gift of salvation.

Introduction

Every so often, we hear a story that stops us in our tracks—a story of someone who gives a part of themselves so another person can live. A healthy adult can donate a kidney to save one person. But one organ donor can save up to eight lives and heal dozens more through tissue donation.


What stands behind organ donation is something often overlooked:


The decision was made long before the emergency. A person chooses to become an organ donor before they know who will receive their gift, when they will give it, or whether their sacrifice will ever be needed.


Human beings—imperfect, finite, fragile—can help extend physical life. But only One chose, before the world began, to give His life so that others might have eternal life.


LET’S EXPLORE: From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells one continuous story—God’s desire to be in relationship with His creation, to dwell among His people. And when it came to saving humanity, God did not merely sign a commitment. He gave His Son—a decision made before sin ever entered the world.


“He was chosen before the creation of the world, but revealed in these last times for your sake.” — 1 Peter 1:20


In the last blog, we learned that Jesus is perfectly human in obedience and without sin—the unbroken mirror who reflected the Father flawlessly, the One who bore the divine Name in flesh. But His identity naturally led to His purpose.


In this next post in The Dwelling of the Name series, we will see how Moses and the Old Covenant looked forward to Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant, fulfilling the requirements of the Law as both High Priest and perfect sacrifice without blemish. Only One who perfectly bore the Name could perfectly accomplish the mission of the Name.


Jesus Himself said after His resurrection:


“Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms… The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.” — Luke 24:44–46


The New Covenant is where the Name and the sacrifice become one. The One who bears the divine Name—Yeshua, “YHWH saves”—gave His life just as God intended before time began.


Through His blood, the covenant of salvation is sealed forever. This is the meaning of the Name in the New Covenant.


1 · The Name and the Old Covenant

A covenant is not merely a contract, obligation, oath, or pledge — though elements of all four are present. It is the deepest form of binding relationship between two parties.


The New Covenant is sealed by the blood of the One who bears the Name. To understand it, we must first understand the covenant it fulfills.


And we must say this plainly:


The Old Covenant was not flawed. The Old Covenant was incomplete because it was never meant to remove sin (Hebrews 10:4) but to reveal it (Romans 3:20).


Many in Israel believed the Old Covenant offered salvation through obedience. But the Law’s purpose was not to save; it was to reveal the holiness God required—and to reveal the need for faith in His promises.


The Old Covenant refers to the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19–24). Because of sin, humanity could not approach God without being consumed by His holiness (Genesis 3:22-24). This covenant provided a way for limited relationship with God through:


  • the Law (Torah)

  • the priesthood

  • the sacrificial system

  • the tabernacle

  • blessings for obedience

  • curses for disobedience


The Old Covenant Revealed God—His Standards and His Name

Scripture affirms its goodness (Romans 7:12). It revealed:



But it was also conditional:


“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant ...” — Exodus 19:5


The Old Covenant Revealed Sin—Our Propensity to Fail

The problem was not the Law—it was human weakness (Romans 8:3). The sacrificial system could cover sin temporarily, but it could not cleanse the heart or change human nature.


Its purpose was to show:


  • the depth of sin

  • the need for atonement

  • the impossibility of salvation through human effort

  • and the necessity of Someone greater


The veil in the tabernacle (Exodus 26:33-34, Hebrews 9:7) reminded Israel of God’s holiness—and humanity’s distance from Him.


The Old Covenant Made All Guilty

Under the Law, all stand condemned (1 John 3:4).


No one can hold their life up to the Law—outwardly or inwardly—and be innocent (Matthew 5:21–30).


The Law brought a curse because no one could keep it perfectly (2 Corinthians 3:6).


The Old Covenant Set the Stage for the Messiah

It revealed God’s moral standard and exposed the human condition.


It showed that salvation could not come through us—only through the One who bears the Name. (Psalm 106:8, Isaiah 12:2, Joel 2:32)


2 · A Covenant Sealed With Blood - And If Broken, It Demanded Death

If the Old Covenant revealed sin and humanity’s need for a Redeemer, its sealing ceremony revealed how serious that need truly was.


Covenants in the ancient world were sealed not by signatures or ink, but by blood.


The Abrahamic Covenant was cut in blood. When God promised Abraham the land, He sealed it with a blood oath:


"Abram brought all these [animals] to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other ... a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces." — Genesis 15:7-21


This act declared: “If this covenant is broken, a life must be taken.”


The Old Covenant was sealed the same way:


It was sealed with sacrifice

Every slain animal displayed the cost of sin: a life for a life (Leviticus 17:11).


"Moses ... offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar." — Exodus 24:4–6


The Old Covenant was spoken aloud

Moses read “the Book of the Covenant” to the people, creating a binding obligation:


“All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” — Exodus 24:3, 7


The Covenant was ratified in blood

Moses took the blood then threw half on the altar—symbolizing God’s side and sprinkled half on the people—symbolizing Israel’s side. Then he declared:


“This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you.” — Exodus 24:8


To break the oath of this covenant was to accept the same fate as the sacrifice—death.


Jeremiah later reminded Israel of this deadly oath:


“Those who violated My covenant … I will treat like the calf they cut in two.” — Jeremiah 34:17-20


At Mt. Sinai, the Name had open fellowship with Moses and the elders (Exodus 24:9-10). Moses knew the covenant was temporary—like a guardian or escort leading toward a redeemer (Galatians 3:24, Galatians 4:1-5). This Redeemer would be a prophet like him, who at the time set by God would shepherd God's people into true holiness.


3 · Moses and the Old Covenant Point to the Messiah in Jesus


The angel of the Lord stops Abraham and a ram is substituted for the sacrifice.

Every part of the covenant system was designed to stir anticipation for Someone greater—someone who would fulfill what the law, the sacrifices, the priests, and the tabernacle could only foreshadow (click each below).

The Law

The sacrifices

  • revealed the repeated death of innocent animals, showing that atonement needed a final, once-for-all Substitute (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 10:4).

The priests

  • revealed the need for a mediator who was sinless and eternal—One able to secure an unconditional covenant instead of maintaining a conditional one (Exodus 28–29; Hebrews 7:23–28).

The tabernacle


None of these were the final answer.


All were shadows cast by Someone greater (Hebrews 10:1).


That “Someone” was revealed long before He arrived.


Moses Told Israel to Expect Someone Greater

Moses told Israel plainly that God would raise up a prophet “like him”:


“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” — Deuteronomy 18:15–16


This was not a prediction of another ordinary prophet. Israel had many—but none were “like Moses.”


The LORD affirmed this response:


"17 The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him." — Deuteronomy 18:17–18


This became a compass for Israel—marking the Messiah’s identity.


The Moses-Pattern: Characteristics of the Messiah

Here are the key similarities Moses revealed—each fulfilled perfectly in Jesus (click each below):

He would be a man from Israel

Preserved from infant genocide

  • Moses: The Pharaoh ordered all boy thrown into the Nile (Exodus 1:22)

  • Jesus: Herod ordered the death of all male infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).

Came out of Egypt

Wilderness-tested

Provided supernatural bread

Offered himself for the people

  • Moses: “please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out” (Exodus 32:32).

  • Jesus: “... [the Son of Man] give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Established Passover deliverance

Revealed God’s glory

Appointed leadership over twelve

A mediator between God and His people

Had direct access to God

  • Moses: "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face" (Exodus 33:11)

  • Jesus: “I speak only what the Father taught Me” (John 12:49–50)

Performed signs and wonders

Commanded obedience

Experienced rejection by His own people

Recognized as a prophet


No one in Israel’s history matches this pattern—except One.


Jesus fulfills every Moses-shaped expectation.


The Prophets Expanded the Portrait—and Jesus Fulfills Them All

Beyond Moses, Scripture sharpened Israel’s picture of the Messiah.


Jesus alone fulfills all of these (click each below):

The Seed of the Woman

NOTE: Only men have a seed - sin is through man

From the Tribe of Judah

Son of David

Born in Bethlehem

  • Micah 5:2 → "out of you ... one who will be ruler over Israel ... from ancient times"

  • Matthew 2:1→ Jesus’ birthplace; he is the "I AM"

Wounded and Pierced


Cast lots for His clothing

  • Psalm 22:18 → "divided by garments ... cast lots from my clothing"

  • John 19:24 → Fulfilled by the Roman soldiers

Not a bone broken

Buried with the rich

Raised from the dead

The Lamb God would provide

  • Genesis 22:8 → "God himself will provide the lamb"

  • John 1:29 → Christ Himself is the provided Lamb (Revelation 5:6-10)

The Suffering Servant

The Eternal King

Priest forever

  • Psalm 110:4 → "priest forever in the order of Melchizedek"

  • Hebrews 7:17 → Jesus’ priesthood as king and priest, not Levitical line

God with us


Even Abraham foresaw it (Genesis 22:8) when he said: “God Himself will provide the lamb.”


The Messiah would be the Son of Promise offered for sin.


And mathematically, the odds are staggering. Dr. Peter Stoner famously calculated that fulfilling just eight of these prophecies by chance is 1 in 10¹⁷ — one in one hundred quadrillion.


Everything the Old Covenant hinted at and everything Moses longed for—all of it leads to a single promise: God Himself would establish a New Covenant, one written not on stone but sealed in the blood of the One who bears the divine Name.


4 · The Name and Promise of a New Covenant


Jesus offers the cup, which is His blood poured out for the new Covenant

The Old Covenant was mediated by Moses and represented by the Aaronic priesthood—sinful men offering sacrifices for themselves and the people. The promise of the Messiah also brought the promise of a New Covenant. As Paul preached:


“Through Him [Jesus] everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the Law of Moses.” — Acts 13:39


The Law could expose guilt, but only the Messiah could remove it.


The prophets looked beyond the limited access of the tabernacle. They looked past the endless sacrifices and fading priests. They saw a day when God would act directly—to restore, cleanse, and redeem His people by His own power.


Jeremiah predicted a new, transformed covenant:


“I will make a new covenant… I will put My law within them and write it on their hearts. I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” — Jeremiah 31:31–34


This promise does not improve the Old Covenant; it replaces it with something entirely better.


Ezekiel promised a new heart and Spirit-enabled obedience:


“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you… I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees.” — Ezekiel 36:26–27


The New Covenant would not rely on human strength. It would be fueled by God’s Spirit, God’s forgiveness, and God’s transforming power.


All of the Old Testament heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11 spoke to the promise of the Messiah and the New Covenant:


"These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." — Hebrews 11:39-40


So Jesus would inaugurate the promise of the New Covenant at what is known as "The Last Supper" on the night He was betrayed, intentionally echoing Exodus 24.


  • Sealed with a sacrifice "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

  • Spoken aloud: Only Jesus spoke these words. Only Jesus gave the the promise.

  • Ratified with blood: "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:28)


When Jesus was at his last on the cross, he said, "It is finished."


The Name who came in flesh became the Lamb who was slain to seal the eternal covenant for His people.


Living in Light of the Name


1) What you just learned

You have learned that the Old Covenant and the New Covenant share the same Author—the LORD Himself. The Old Covenant was not a failed attempt at salvation, nor was the New Covenant a reaction to human weakness. From the beginning, God established a covenantal path that would reveal His holiness, expose humanity’s inability to save itself, and prepare the world for a once-for-all act of redemption carried out by the One who bears His Name.


You have also learned that everything in the Old Covenant pointed forward to a coming change—the Law, the sacrifices, the priesthood, the blood, the tabernacle, and even Moses himself. These were not ends in themselves but shadows cast by the Messiah to come. When Jesus instituted the New Covenant, He did so in the same covenantal language, with the same solemnity, and with the same demand for life where blood is shed. What differed was this: the Name who required the covenant became the sacrifice that sealed it.


2) Why this is important

This matters because it reframes how salvation is understood. If the New Covenant is merely an improvement on the Old, then faith becomes optional and obedience becomes transactional. But Scripture teaches something far deeper: the Old Covenant exposed guilt, while the New Covenant removes it. The Law spoke truthfully, but it could not justify. As Paul explains, the Law shuts every mouth and holds the whole world accountable to God (Romans 3:19–20). It reveals sin; it does not solve it.


The New Covenant reveals the heart of God in response to that reality. God did not lower His standard, ignore sin, or redefine holiness. He satisfied His own justice by entering history in human flesh and bearing the penalty Himself. Paul reminds us, reconciliation itself rests not on human faithfulness, but on God’s initiative—God acting in faithfulness to His own purpose and Name (2 Corinthians 5:18).


3) How this applies to sanctification

Sanctification under the New Covenant is not the preservation of former patterns, but the cultivation of a life that remains responsive to God’s voice. Just as the Old Covenant prepared the way for what God would later fulfill in Christ, the believer’s life is shaped through seasons in which God establishes, completes, and then redirects His work. As Paul described, faithful bearing of the Name now looks like endurance, purity, truth, and sincere love (2 Corinthians 6:3–10)—not to prove worthiness, but to reflect the character of the One who gave His life for us.


Growth in holiness is therefore not measured by how tightly we cling to what God has done before, but by how faithfully we walk with Him as He continues to lead. Sanctification trains the heart to trust God’s purpose even when His direction changes—learning to follow the God who fulfills His word rather than anchoring ourselves to the forms through which He once worked.


4) Reflection and orientation

Throughout Scripture, God’s people were not asked to discern whether God had changed, but whether they would follow Him as He fulfilled what He had already promised. The transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant did not represent a shift in God’s character or purpose; it marked the completion of what He had declared from the beginning. The same God who established the Law foretold a New Covenant. The same God who instituted sacrifices promised a final sacrifice. Israel’s failure was not devotion to the Old Covenant—it was refusing to move when God brought that covenant to its intended fulfillment in the Messiah.


This matters because covenant faithfulness is not measured by attachment to former structures (Jeremiah 31:31-34) or conformity to the wisdom of the world (Romans 12:2), but by trust in the God who authored both covenants. Israel clung to the Temple, the Law, and the sacrificial system even after God revealed that these were preparatory shadows pointing forward. In doing so, they mistook loyalty to a covenant administration for loyalty to the covenant God. Believers today face a parallel question: will we trust the same faithful God when His will unfolds in ways that require surrender of familiarity, control, or expectation? The New Covenant calls us not to cling to former expressions of God’s work, but to remain responsive to the God who fulfills His word—trusting His direction even when it disrupts our expectations, traditions, or sense of control.


Please visit the website at www.bible-is-history.com


Part 9 of 12 in The Dwelling of the Name Series


← Previous Series [The Name in Flesh]


Next in Series → [The Mark of the Name]



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